If There Hadn't Been You
by aglowingstar
Summary: A oneshot story about how one woman changes Snape's life. I'm no good at summaries, please read and review! :


**A/N: This is a songfic based on "If There Hadn't Been You" by Billy Dean. I heard it just now, and I had a major inspiration for a one-shot. Please review, and enjoy! Oh yeah, and Dumbledore is NOT dead. ;) And Snape may seem a little OOC, but this is how I picture him when he is exposed to emotion. Hehe.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter, that's all J.K.'s. I also don't own "If There Hadn't Been You," that's property of Billy Dean.**

**If There Hadn't Been You**

Severus Snape rolled over in bed, looking at her. He had never known anyone like her; she could make him feel any emotion in the world just by looking into his eyes. He had never planned on feeling emotion for anyone or anything…

_A man, filled with doubt,_

_down and out and so alone._

_A ship tossed and turned._

_lost and yearning for a home._

_A survivor, barely surviving_

_not really sure of his next move_

Back then, there wasn't much to Severus's life. He had a routine that never changed: wake up, teach classes, go to Death Eater meetings and collect information for Dumbledore, grade papers, go to sleep. He didn't have any friends to speak of; his disposition was far too sour to accommodate friendship. He had been teaching at Hogwarts for over twenty years, and had yet to meet someone to spend his life with. Not that he wanted to, but sometimes he admitted to himself that life could get pretty lonely. He had no idea where his life was going. Down the drain, it seemed.

One bright spot in his day had always been torturing the Gryffindors in his Potions class (especially Potter, Weasley, and Granger). He didn't really loathe them as much as he let on, but he had to keep up appearances. It had been four years since the Golden Trio had graduated Hogwarts, so he didn't even have that to look forward to nearly every day. He had yet to find any students he cared about deep down inside like he had cared about them. Hiding his emotional connection to Granger had been the hardest. He had always felt that they had much in common; he felt she was one person whose intelligence could rival his own. He thought he missed her most of all.

So Severus's life was boring. Everyone knew it—Dumbledore knew it, McGonagall knew it, hell, even Peeves knew it. He had come to accept the fact that his life would never have another purpose besides teaching Potions and giving Dumbledore information. However, what no one knew was how being alone effected him. Everyone just figured Severus was happy being alone; a lot of people refused to acknowledge he was even human. No one ever bothered to try to get to know him, try to understand why he was the way he was.

Severus had had a rough life. He was abused and then abandoned by his parents, teased mercilessly at Hogwarts (especially by the Marauders, in particular, James Potter), and he had simply gotten used to being alone. He was extremely intelligent. His intelligence became something that did him a world of good—and bad. His intelligence gave him something to be proud of, something to work toward. But it also gave him something to hide behind. He figured that since he was smart, he could get through life on that alone. He had never been taught the importance of emotional connections—let alone love. The closest he had ever come to loving someone was when he arrived at Hogwarts. He watched her from afar, always too scared to talk to her. She was amazing, the most beautiful person he had ever seen—Lily Evans. He would spend five years of his time at school loving her. When James and Sirius would torture him, she would try to make them stop. He always thanked her for this but could never tell her. In his fifth year, he watched her fall in love with James Potter under his own nose. This crushed him, seeing Lily fall in love with his worst enemy. After that, he vowed he'd never fall in love again. When she was killed by Voldemort, he mourned her death for weeks. He knew there could be no worse feeling than unrequited love. Yes, Severus Snape was a damaged man. But damage could be undone. And it would be… by the woman lying in bed next to him.

_All of this, I would've been_

_if there hadn't been you._

The day Severus went to Hogsmeade for drinks at the Three Broomsticks seemed like any normal Saturday. It was summertime, and he hadn't been out in days. He needed some fresh air.

As he walked down the street, he looked up at the sky. He noticed for the first time in years how blue it was. He'd actually never noticed how beautiful nature really was. He was lost in this thought, not paying attention to anything around him, and he felt a body slam against his, and he fell to the ground.

"What the—" he said, looking up. When his eyes met hers, he couldn't help but gasp.

"Granger?" he said incredulously, freezing immediately.

"Professor Snape?" she said, sounding just as surprised. They sat on the ground looking at each other for a second, and he shook his head and laughed a little.

"I'm sorry, Miss Granger, my head was in the clouds," he said, forgetting to be disagreeable. He looked around and saw that he had knocked a parcel out of her hand, parchment had flown everywhere. He jumped up and started gathering them, but not before reaching his hand out to help her up. She gave a small smile and took his hand.

"That's okay, Professor, I wasn't paying much attention either."

"Please, Miss Granger, call me Severus. You are no longer a student of mine," he said generously, putting the last of the parchment into the box she was carrying. She bit her lip.

"Well, Severus, then please, call me Hermione, as you are no longer my professor," she said, pushing a strand of no longer bushy hair out of her face.

He couldn't help but notice how her light brown hair fell in slight curls over her shoulders. His breath caught in his throat. He smiled. As he did so, Hermione noticed for the first time since meeting him that he had quite a lovely smile.

"Okay, Hermione, what is all the parchment for?" he asked, quite curious.

"Oh, Severus, you haven't heard? I'm the new Arithmancy professor!" she exclaimed, getting so excited she nearly dropped the box of parchment again.

"Really?" he asked, not bothering to hide his pleasure. He found no need to act as if he hated her; those days were over.

"Yes, yes, Dumbledore just hired me last week," she said, "Severus, I was just on my way to the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer, would you like to join me?" she asked quickly, flushing a little.

"Well, certainly, I was actually on my way there myself," he said, grinning. _Funny, _he thought_, she was already past the Three Broomsticks when we collided. _This thought made his grin spread wider across his face. _She wasn't really going there, she just wants to spend more time together_. He took the box from her hand. "Let me carry this for you, Hermione," he said softly, catching her eye. She smiled at him, her brown eyes twinkling.

And this is where it started… Severus began to know human companionship.

_If there hadn't been you,_

_where would I be?_

There was no question in Severus's mind; he would be completely lost without her. He would never have known what love truly felt like, he would never have known how good life could be. He would be lost in his own mind. He reached his hand out, touching her cheek.

_If there hadn't been you,_

_here for me._

Her eyes fluttered open at his touch, and she smiled, putting her hand over his. His eyes filled with tears. _Tears, _he thought_, I never would have even known what those were_. She moved over, snuggling herself under his arm. He sighed peacefully, kissing the top of her head.

_A man, filled with hope_

_who finally knows where he belongs._

_A heart, filled with love_

_more than enough to keep it strong_

_A life that survived again_

_no longer afraid to face the truth_

From that Saturday at the Three Broomsticks on, Severus and Hermione grew closer and closer. None of the teachers at Hogwarts could believe it; Snape, in love? With Hermione Granger, nonetheless. All the professors knew how much Snape had loathed Hermione and her two best friends, but none of them could deny that she had completely transformed him. He had been a surly, angry man devoid of positive emotions. He had been a man who never smiled, never laughed. But these days, he could be found joking with professors and students alike. He never tortured students anymore; he helped them when they needed it instead of making fun of them. She had turned him into a completely different man, and his life would never be the same. No one saw this coming, except maybe Dumbledore, who could always pick out a match made in Heaven. Even though Hermione had been much too young when she was a student, he knew that one day, she would change Snape's life.

Perhaps one of the most important things Hermione did for Severus was give him a reason to never return to the Dark side. Before she came into his life, he really had no reason to stay good. When his Dark Mark surged with pain, he_ could_ have been going to those meetings with his heart in it, not just to give Dumbledore news on Voldemort. But when he fell in love with her, she gave his heart the strength it needed to stay on the good side. He realized that no matter what tragedy he had endured in his past, his future was full of nothing but happiness with her.

_All of this I would've missed_

_if there hadn't been you._

Their wedding day had been one of the best of his life, save the day they were reunited at the Three Broomsticks. At the prompt of the minister, he put his hand on her face and kissed her with more passion than he had ever felt in his entire life.

"I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Severus Snape!"

Even as he heard the words, he couldn't believe it was true. He looked at her smiling face, and lifted their joined hands as they turned to face the crowd. Everyone was smiling, clapping, even some crying. He looked sideways at Harry and Ron. Harry smiled, Ron winked. Snape couldn't believe it; he was friends with Potter and Weasley. It was at this moment that he realized he had more in his life than he ever imagined. He had the love of his life, friends, and a whole room of people appreciating the fact that he existed. As he and Hermione made their way down the aisle, he looked at her, beaming. _If it weren't for her, I'd never have known this feeling. The feeling of living._

_If there hadn't been you_

_where would I be?_

_If there hadn't been you_

_here for me_

_I made it through times_

_I never would've made it through_

_If there hadn't been you_

_on my side_

_you in my life_

Severus smiled down at her. He opened his mouth to speak, but she spoke first.

"I love you, Severus. You're everything to me. Did you know that?" she asked seriously, sitting up and sitting Indian style facing him. He nodded, pulling her on top of him. She sat on his hips, one leg on either side of him.

"Hermione, you have no idea what you've done for me. Do you realize what kind of person I was before you?" he asked, running his fingers up and down her spine.

"Yes, _Professor Snape_," she said, grinning, "of course I do. I remember your class all too well. _Potter, that's detestable_. _Granger, you little know-it-all_," she said in a dark, cold tone, clearly joking. He looked down, ashamed. She immediately brought her hand to his chin, lifting it. "Honey, I'm only kidding. I know we didn't make things easier on you, constantly accusing you of being on the wrong side," she said in a more serious tone, leaning forward to lay on his chest. He laughed a little, appreciating her ability to forgive him for how horrid he had been.

As he held her in his arms, he knew his life was complete. If he died now, the only thing he would be sad about would be leaving her. He leaned up, kissing her lips gently. She moaned slightly, deepening the kiss. She bit his lower lip gently, a gesture she knew he enjoyed. He slipped his tongue through her parted lips, his hands running through her curly hair. She rolled off of him and pulled him on top of her. He raised up, lifting his body above hers, his hands on either side of her. He leaned down and whispered,

_All my dreams_

_would still be dreams_

_if there hadn't been you._

Her brown eyes filled with tears as she pressed her lips to his cheek lightly, but with a hint of longing. He knew he had found his true purpose in life: to love Hermione Granger with all his heart and soul. She had set the flame inside him free, given him the ability to live the life he had always dreamed.

_All my dreams_

_would still be dreams_

_If there hadn't been you._

**Fin**

**So what did you think? Please review! It only takes a couple seconds and it totally makes my day! I just had to write this when I heard this song, it was so perfect for Snape! Please review!!!!**


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